“Be humble like a tree, be green…” Only one person could say such words, and that is nature lover, biologist, and writer Professor Dwijen Sharma. His life’s passion and meditation were centered around nature. He embraced trees with the love and affection one would feel for a child of their own. For this reason, he felt the existence of his own life intertwined with that of the trees.
Photo: Wikipedia
Childhood
Dwijen Sharma was born on May 29, 1929, in the picturesque natural setting of Shimulia village, Barlekha upazila, Moulvibazar district, currently within the Sylhet division. His father, Bhishak Chandrakant Sharma, was a village herbalist, while his mother, Magnamoyi Devi, was a social worker. Their home, known as the herbalist’s house, was filled with countless trees and a variety of colorful flowers. As a result, in his childhood, he had the opportunity to enjoy the enchanting environment of hills, forests, and abundant greenery.
Education
On one hand, he learned from the environment of nature; on the other, he received his primary education at the village school. He later studied at Karimganj Public High School. He went on to earn his undergraduate degree from Kolkata City College. In the final stage of his education, he completed his post-graduate degree in Botany from Dhaka University in 1958.
Professional Life
After completing his formal education in 1958, he began his teaching career at Brojomohun College in Barisal. In 1963, he started teaching at Notre Dame College in Dhaka. Later, in 1974, he became a translator at Progress Publishers, a Soviet publishing house in Moscow, and continued in that role until 1990. During this period, he translated more than forty books. Upon his return to Bangladesh, he joined the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh as a translator. Notably, he remained in the country throughout the entirety of the nine-month Liberation War.
Family Life
In his personal life, he married Dr. Debi Chakraborty in 1960, who was a professor of philosophy at Central Women’s College in Dhaka. Of their two children, their son Dr. Sumit Sharma married and lives in Moscow, while their daughter Shreyoshi Sharma resides in Bangladesh.
Civilization of Human-Nature Coexistence
According to Professor Dwijen Sharma, “We must envision a new civilization where humans coexist in harmony with nature.” This philosophy and mindset did not develop overnight. Throughout his life, he forged a deep friendship with green nature. Dwijen Sharma, the nature lover, expressed this enthusiasm in his own words. On his 85th birthday, at a civic reception organized by Tarupallab at Shawkat Osman Memorial Auditorium adjacent to the National Library in Dhaka, he said, “In my childhood, I mixed and played with indigenous boys. I roamed through forests and jungles— from then on a love for forest life was planted in my heart, and I never became free from it. That indigenous life, forest life—that is what makes me who I am today.”
Publications
Professor Dwijen Sharma wrote extensively about nature, science, children’s literature, and various other fields. Among his major works on nature is “Shyamoli Nissorgo” (1980, 1997, 2015 – Bangla Academy). Other notable books include “Classification of Angiosperms” (1980 – Bangla Academy), “Phul Guli Jeno Kotha” (1988, 2004 – Bangla Academy), “Gachher Kotha Phuler Kotha” (1999 – Children’s Academy), “Emi Nam-er Duronto Meyeti” (1995, 1999 – Children’s Academy), “Nissorgo Nirman O Nandanik Bhavna” (2000 – UPL), “Samajtontre Bosobash” (1999 – UPL), “Jiboner Shesh Nei” (1980, 2000 – National Book Publication), “Biggan O Shikkha: Daeoboddhatar Nirikhe” (2003 – National Book Publication), “Darwin O Projatir Utpatthi” (1997 – Sahitya Prakash), “Bigol Jatrir Vromon Kotha” (1991 – Sahitya Prakash), “Gohon Kon Boner Dhare” (1994 – Sahitya Prakash), “Himaloyer Udbidrajje Dalton Hooker” (2004 – Sahitya Prakash), “Banglar Brikkho” (2001 – Sahitya Prakash), “Satirtho Boloye Darwin” (1974, 1984, 1999 – Muktodhara), “Momo Dukkher Sadhon” (1994 – Sahana), “Amar Ekattor O Onnanno” (2008 – Anupam Prokashoni).
Honors and Awards
For his dedication and contributions, he was honored and awarded by various organizations at different times. Among the most notable are the Bangla Academy Award in 1987, the Ekushey Padak in 2015, and the Dr. Kudrat-E-Khuda Gold Medal. Other awards include the M. Nurul Kader Child Literature Award, and the Nature Conservation Medal from Channel i in 2001. The renowned writer and biologist Professor Dwijen Sharma passed away at Square Hospital in Dhaka on September 15, 2017, at 3:50 a.m. while undergoing treatment. He was 88 years old at the time of his death.
References:
1. Wikipedia
2. Our Great Tree Has Fallen – Dwijen Sharma, www.biggani.org
3. Dainik Prothom Alo, Dainik Jugantor, Dainik Ittefaq
4. bdnews24.com
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